Crispy Kale Parmesan Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Last month I spent a long weekend in New Orleans. My friend Deanna and I felt it was our duty to try out our way through town and I will be sharing my weekend guide next week. I couldn’t wait one day more to share my new favorite salad that was inspired by my trip. This Crispy Kale Salad is a mash up of kale chips and a kale salad, topped with a lemony vinaigrette, toasted pine nuts and tomatoes.
The first night in New Orleans we visited Domeninca, one of John Besh’s restaurants. We tried the Crispy Kale Salad. Amazing! I still think about that salad. It was coated with chickpea flour and fried. They served it with parmesan, tomatoes and a lemon vinaigrette.
Back at home I knew wanted to recreate it but was pretty sure none of your would want to deep fry the kale. I set out to make a healthier version. Recently at a bachelorette cooking party many of the girls were saying they didn’t like kale. I quickly made a batch of kale chips and won a few of them over. Hopefully, this salad will convince you to give kale a try.
This salad is crazy easy to make. Place the kale on the sheet and toss with olive oil. I used Lacinto Kale which is popular in Tuscany. It is a little sweeter and tastier than other versions. I use a Misto Brushed Aluminum Olive Oil Sprayer”>Misto olive oil spray can that finely mists my favorite olive oil over the kale. You use less oil – which means fewer calories!
Add the salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.
Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and bake until crisp, about 7-10 minutes. Toss with the lemon vinaigrette, pine nuts and remaining parmesan cheese.
Crispy Kale Parmesan Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Print RecipeIngredients
- 1 bunch of kale rinsed and dried
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese divided
- 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar or honey
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- Pepper
- up to 1/4 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Toss kale with olive oil, sea salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Place on baking sheet and sprinkle with 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the kale is crisp.
- Place on platter, top with lemon vinaigrette, parmesan cheese, pine nuts and tomatoes.
